The Ear has received the following announcement to post from the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO):

Join us at 4 p.m. this Sunday, June 3, at Music Hall (below top), 925 Bascom Mall in Madison – at the base of Bascom Hill on the UW-Madison campus — for the final concert of the WYSO Music Makers (below bottom) during their inaugural season.

The FREE concert includes performances by students ages 8 to 18 on violin, guitar and piano. (Editor’s note: Sorry, there is no word about the composers or works on the program.)

“It’s been an incredible year in so many ways and it’s exhilarating to think back to September 2017 and see how much we have all learned and how many new friends we have made,” said violinist and WYSO Music Makers program director Paran Amirinazari (below). “Our students have grown as musicians and individuals and we can’t wait to continue growing and learning together.”

WYSO Music Makers exists to enrich and develop the music skills of children from all backgrounds in an inclusive and non-competitive environment. We provide the financial support for instruments, lessons, and performance opportunities, making music education accessible for all children. No motivated student is turned away for lack of resources. Learn more at wysomusic.org/wysomusicmakers. (See the YouTube video at the bottom.)

WYSO Music Makers is supported by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, with additional support from CUNA Mutual Foundation, Edith Olsen Music Foundation, Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, Madison Community Foundation, and Madison Gas & Electric Foundation, Inc.

This Saturday, young children and their families can experience the world of classical music through the eyes and ears of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Beethoven will be portrayed by Whitney Derendinger (below) of the UW-Madison Department of Theatre and Drama.

Two performances of the FREE concert will combine music, storytelling and learning for the whole family as Beethoven and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, with help from students from the University of Wisconsin’s Mead Witter School of Music, bring to life the compositional journey of the infamous theme and first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony – heard in the YouTube video at the bottom that has more than 53 million views — which closed the WCO season last weekend.

Here are the details:

WHERE: Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street, on Madison’s east side

The WCO’s Family Community Concert Series is a new, free-of-charge but ticketed educational program for children ages 4-10 and their families.

A unique format will encourage audience members of all ages to interact with classical music and each other like they never have before and serve as a new way for parents to introduce their children to classical music.

WCO will use music to inspire connections within families and communities and to foster a love for music that spans generations.

Families can also help prepare children for the experience. For more information and a preparatory study guide, go to: